Tuesday 3 June 2008 11.00 EDT
First published on Tuesday 3 June 2008 11.00 EDT

The Fifa vice-president Jack Warner will try to persuade the US to mount a bid to host the 2022 World Cup and leave the field open for England's bid to host the 2018 tournament.

Warner, the president of Concacaf which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean and has three of the 24 votes in the bidding process, is broadly supportive of England's bid but admits it would be "political suicide" for him not to back a US campaign first.

However Warner believes the US would do better bidding for 2022 - Fifa will decide on both hosts at the same time in 2011 - and should agree a deal to stand aside.

In an interview with BBC Radio Five Live to be broadcast this evening, Warner said: "I have to convince them not to bid. It is easier for me to convince America to wait until 2022.

"I don't think they will be able to get as many of the votes as they will need [in 2018] for all kinds of reasons. I have said to England that until America gets knocked out that's where my vote will have to go.

"My message to the USA - and they don't have to listen - is to try to make a deal for 2022 and I'm quite sure that would have universal support.

"The kind of discussion I would have between England and the US is 'Will you support me in 2022?"'

Warner's backing for England was cemented by the weekend's friendly against his home country Trinidad and Tobago and he said the challenge for 2018 was to do the same in other parts of the world.

He added: "England left behind a positive impression that will last for decades and they have to replicate that in other areas."

Warner had previously accused the hierarchy at the Football Association of being "faceless" and "cold" while urging it to increase its political proactivity and to tap into David Beckham's celebrity to help secure the tournament for the first time in over half a century.